Tucker Terranova
John Franco Leads Nassau Over Suffolk in 18th Bryan Bonin Grand Slam Challenge
by Tucker Terranova Bryan Bonin Grand Slam Classic MVP John Franco (Farmingdale, Molloy) discusses his experience playing in the All-Star Game, the level of competition, and any bragging rights that may have been at stake for Nassau County. pic.twitter.com/q3Gie3aLrX — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 24, 2025 In a contest featuring the top talent from Long Island, a player playing right in his backyard stole the show. John Franco, who took off his Farmingdale uniform just weeks ago following a loss to Massapequa in the Class AAA finals, got one final chance to represent his school and he made it count. On Monday night, Franco and 49 of Long Island’s best seniors suited up for one final high school game in the 18th annual Bryan Bonin Grand Slam Challenge at Farmingdale State Colle...
Underdogs No More: How the Narrative of Carle Place Baseball Is Shifting
by Tucker Terranova Carle Place wins Class B Nassau County Championship with a 1-0 victory over No. 1 Oyster Bay. It is their first Class B Title since 2003! WP: Roman Sandonato complete game shutout with 6 Ks Tommy Schoch 2-3, 1 RBI pic.twitter.com/L3wOyY6fbT — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 25, 2025 As Tommy Schoch took the mound for game one of the Nassau County Class B Championship Series this May, the trust behind him was obvious. After years of his teammates watching him deliver, the confidence was earned. Schoch wasn’t just Carle Place’s ace—he was the conference’s best player. The junior turned in one of the most complete seasons in program history, posting a 1.40 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 35 innings while batting .333 with 20 RBIs and six stolen bases. The performance ea...
Shelter Island Bucks’ Bats Stay Hot, Roll Past South Shore Clippers in 9-1 Rout
Billy Fluharty (Bucknell) discusses the Shelter Island Bucks’ offensive outburst in a 9-1 victory over the South Shore Clippers, along with what’s been working during his team’s hot start and what led to the win today. pic.twitter.com/QlyzM8NCgW — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 17, 2025 By Tucker Terranova The Shelter Island Bucks are no strangers to early deficits. Just four games into the season, the Bucks are already shaping their identity as a resilient, high-powered lineup. After erasing a 1-0 deficit with 11 unanswered runs on Opening Day, they followed it up Tuesday with another statement win—this time scoring nine straight to cruise past the South Shore Clippers, 9-1, in six innings. Offensively, the Bucks have been relentless, averaging a league-best 6.5 runs per game t...
Stroman, Oliveto, Costarelli Highlight Suffolk County Award Winners
By Tucker Terranova Suffolk County’s baseball elite took center stage last night as the Suffolk County Baseball Coaches Association (SCBCA) hosted its annual awards banquet, celebrating the top players, coaches, and performances from the spring season. The evening’s spotlight shone brightest on the county’s three most prestigious honors: the Carl Yastrzemski Award, recognizing Suffolk’s Most Valuable Player; the Blue Chip Silver Slugger Award, presented to the county’s top hitter; and the Paul Gibson Award, honoring Suffolk’s most dominant pitcher. Carl Yastrzemski Award – Jayden Stroman, RHP/CF, Patchogue-Medford Jayden Stroman, a dynamic two-way senior and the younger brother of Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman, became the 57th recipient of the Carl Yastrzemski Award. It’s the third ...
Local Talent Shines in South Shore’s 4-1 Opening Day HCBL Win Over Westhampton
by Tucker Terranova Final: Clippers 4, Aviators 1 The Clippers win the first game of the HCBL campaign in seven innings. pic.twitter.com/CEa2sehDJu — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 12, 2025 After a long collegiate season and little time to recover before the start of the 2025 Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League (HCBL), some early-season rust would have been understandable. But for Mark Gajowski — a rising sophomore left-hander and 2024 Riverhead graduate — his debut in summer ball couldn’t have gone much better. Coming off a strong freshman campaign at the University at Albany where he made 12 appearances including eight starts, Gajowski took the mound for the South Shore Clippers in Thursday’s opener at Aviator Park and delivered four no-hit innings, striking out five to earn t...
“Just Like The Boys”: Meet the 11-Year-Old Twin Sisters Paving Their Own Path In Baseball
(Photo Credit: Jean Truth) by Tucker Terranova In recent years, there has been continued growth in the number of girls playing and working in sports. With Major League Baseball’s recent investment in Athletes Unlimited Softball and the rising popularity of the WNBA and PWHL, it’s clear that girls now have a place in sports that wasn’t as accessible in previous decades. At the youth level, many girls begin playing baseball to learn the fundamentals before transitioning to softball in their teenage years. But for twins Camryn and Cassidy Bashian, that’s not an option — they’re baseball players. Members of the 11U B1 Ghost and the Merrick-Bellmore Little League, the twins have been immersed in baseball since they could first pick up a ball. While they’ve given softball a try, their love remai...
“Shock the World”: Revisiting the 2012 Stony Brook Seawolves’ Run to Omaha
by Tucker Terranova This past Monday, the Murray State baseball program continued its improbable postseason run, defeating Duke 5-4 in the final game of their best-of-three Super Regional series and earning the program’s first-ever trip to Omaha. The win marks just the fourth time a No. 4 seed has advanced to the College World Series and the second time in three seasons after Oral Roberts accomplished the feat in 2023. Alongside Oral Roberts’ Cinderella run and the 2008 Fresno State team—the first and only No. 4 seed to win the CWS—it was another underdog, close to home, that once shook the baseball world. The Stony Brook Seawolves entered the 2012 season as a program on the rise—riding five consecutive winning campaigns, including a 42-12 record in 2011 that ended without an NCAA tourname...
Fox Lane Surges Late to Beat Garden City, Win First Regional Since 2003
by Tucker Terranova Section I Champion Fox Lane defeats Garden City 4-3 in the NYPHSAA Quarterfinals, advancing to the seminfinals next Friday at Union Endicott HS. The Foxes will meet either Section II Champion Ballston Spa or Section III Champion West Genesee. pic.twitter.com/Dg3NK3pPRm — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 7, 2025 Situational baseball has been Fox Lane’s focal point all season — and when it mattered most, it delivered. Trailing by two early, the Section I champions rallied for four unanswered runs, including a decisive two-run surge in the seventh inning, to edge Long Island champion Garden City, 4-3, in Saturday’s NYSPHSAA Class AA quarterfinal at Hofstra University. “We’ve been doing this all season,” said second baseman Danny Spolansky. “We feel like when our b...
Garden City Captures Class AA Long Island Championship with 10-5 Win Over East Islip
by Tucker Terranova Jack Murphy discusses his base-clearing triple which gave Garden City a lead they wouldn’t relinquish, as well as what was working for his squad today and what an LIC means for the program. pic.twitter.com/zMzYcQoMhC — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 5, 2025 The typical approach against a sub-1.00 ERA Division-I arm? Scratch out a run or two and lean on your pitching to do the rest. Garden City had other plans. Facing League IV MVP Thomas Costarelli and the top statistical pitching staff on Long Island, the Trojans erupted for nine runs across the fourth and fifth innings, storming past Suffolk Class AA champion East Islip, 10-5, to capture the Class AA Long Island Championship Thursday at Farmingdale State College. The win delivered Garden City its first LIC ...
Wantagh Claims Nassau Class A Title, Defeats Seaford 6-1 in Series Finale
by Tucker Terranova Wantagh takes home the title! They defeat Seaford, 6-1, in Game 3 of the Nassau A Finals to capture the County Championship🏆 They will face Sayville in the Class A Long Island Championship next Thursday at Middle Country Athletic Complex at 4:30 pm. pic.twitter.com/lZXM4KZnm4 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 1, 2025 It’s a well-known fact that pitching wins championships. Wantagh, which lost in three games to Clarke in last year’s Nassau County Class A Championship Series, proved that again over the weekend. After Christian Danzilo twirled a complete game gem in game one of the best-of-three set, Saturday was Dom Cusumano’s turn – and he delivered. Bouncing back after surrendering a walk-off single in relief in game two that pushed the series to a decisive th...
Massapequa Reclaims Nassau County Title In 12-0 Rout Over Top-Seeded Farmingdale
by Tucker Terranova Massapequa is back on top ! They defeat Farmingdale, 12-0, in Game 3 of the Nassau AAA Finals to capture the County Championship 🏆 They face the winner of Connetquot-Sachem North in the Class AAA Long Island Championship next Saturday at Farmingdale State College at 7pm pic.twitter.com/2sQ1wOZdsE — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 1, 2025 The empire has struck back. After a loss to Port Washington in the 2024 Nassau County Class AAA semifinals ended Massapequa’s six-year run of county championships, the Chiefs returned to the mountaintop Sunday morning, routing top-seeded and reigning champion Farmingdale, 12-0, in game three of the best-of-three championship series. Massapequa rallied after dropping the opener 1-0 in eight innings due to a balk-off. After bein...
GAME RECAP: Alt’s Single Forces Game Three, Lifts Seaford to Extra-Inning 3-2 Win Over Wantagh
by Tucker Terranova Final: Wantagh 2, Seaford 3 Dylan Alt forces a decisive game three with a walk-off single! pic.twitter.com/6CD8fQaaTp — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 30, 2025 “Don’t doubt the Vikings.” It’s a phrase Jordan Cassuto said has resonated with his Seaford squad all season. Five times this postseason, the sixth-seeded Vikings have faced elimination — and five times, they’ve lived to play another day. After dropping the first game of their three-game championship series to Wantagh, 6-1, Seaford once again found itself in a familiar spot: needing a win to keep its season alive. In a contest that stretched nine innings and nearly three hours, the Vikings outlasted Wantagh, 3-2, decided by a walk-off single from Dylan Alt. Alt was the conductor of the Vikings’ come-fr...
